ABC’s new biblical drama, Of Kings and Prophets, premiered yesterday and already it’s receiving some serious backlash. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Parents Television Council has heavily criticized the new series for its sexual and violent content.
Of Kings and Prophets stars Ray Winstone, Olly Rix, Simone Kessell, and James Floyd in fictionalized versions of Old Testament stories.
In a statement, PTC president Tim Winter said the series “demonstrates a disconnect” between the entertainment industry and family audiences:
The real question here is, why wouldn’t ABC and the show’s producers want to reach the largest audience possible by making a series based on the Bible able to be viewed by families? Instead it appears that their primary objective was to be edgy and explicit, rather than to entertain with a biblical story. And in so doing, they’re carving away a large percentage of their potential market. This further demonstrates a disconnect between what the entertainment industry wants to produce and what family audiences want to consume.”
Earlier this winter, series showrunner Chris Brancato said Of Kings and Prophets would be “violent and sex-drenched”:
We’re going to go as far as we can.… This story is an Old Testament [one that’s] violent [and] sex-drenched. It’s one of the world’s first soap operas.… You will watch a show that is tasteful but that also tells the story you can read if you want to pick up the Bible.”
On their website, the PTC has further responded to the series by asking advertisers to “carefully consider content before advertising on Of Kings and Prophets”:
It is our sincere hope that advertisers take heed and choose to put their sponsorship dollars towards programming that isn’t saturated with sex and violence and which could harm children.”
So far, Of Kings and Prophets is not performing particularly well in the ratings. Last night’s premiere only received around 3.3 million viewers.
What do you think? Did you watch the premiere of Of Kings and Prophets? Did you find it glaringly inappropriate? Do you agree with the Parents Television Council?
Which children watch primetime television at 10 pm? this doesn’t make any sense
I’ve watched both shows and in comparing Of Kings and Prophets with everything else freely available to people (young and old) on TV, cinema, extremely violent video games, etc, Of Kings and Prophets wasn’t half as violent or packed with inappropriate sexual scenes. Even some commercials are more violent and sex packed then this series has been. I personally thought it was excellently made, the actors are awesome, and it seemed to me the bible stories had come to life. “I loved it” and I hope they don’t take it away; for me, for those who do like it, and… Read more »
well said Mary, thank you for pointing out that truth! This is the aniti-God lobby all the way disguised in sheep’s clothing, but its so obvious to see the wolf sometimes isnt it.
I only started to read the first statment by the PTC and had to say some thing.First,TO PTC,” Read your Bible, it is not child friendly, it is not even PG,let alone G rated as you seem to think!” I was rasied Alleganey Weslyan Methodist,I spent 13 years in a christain school,18 years doing 2 a days on sunday at church. I can tell you this I have read the original KJV of the Bible many times and geuss what? It is the most X-rated book ever writen, I watch the first episoed of Kings and Prophets it was actual… Read more »
I watched of king and prophets, I do believe that it has any more or less sexual content and violence then any other show. But I do believe it has great meaning in it.
Well put Kristen.
I’m an evangelical (pastor of a Southern Baptis tand Reformed Baptist church) and methinks the PTC hasn’t read the Old Testament. It is full of scandal, sex, violence, and displays the human condition as less than stellar. The books of Samuel, the Kings, and the Chronicles explore the depravity and sinfulness of man. They tell a gruesome story. Genesis has lots of such, too. While the show takes a lot of license, the violence is quite sanitized. There’s not as much sex in the actual Samuel account, but the concubines are historically justified. Only Michal is really dealt with in… Read more »
Me thinks that your are very correct in your observation Mark. The world should put more flesh & blood in the writings in the Bible..
It is good to see a pastor who is willing to call out some one who has not read the book they are trying to senser. It is truly hard at times to listen to others who think that the Bible is just all sunshine an rainbows. thank you for show them the turth.
The PTC needs to back off! I have read the Bible, and I believe the show is being depicted well. It was a violent time and I hope the series continues. WHY are children up at 10pm instead of in bed on school nights? Also, that’s why we have different channels – so they can be changed to watch something else, just like radios when you don’t like a song. Get real people. Way too much input from groups that should find current day violence, etc. to be taken care of, not a tv show.
If you think life in the biblical times was all wine and roses, think again. Humans have always had violence and sex in their lives and back then was no different. You had all sorts of groups fighting over that barren middle east back then as you do today, with the same violence. Only the groups and weapons have changed.
Anyway the show is on at 10:00/9:00 PM. The impressionable kiddies should be in bed by then. If not what type of parent are you?
If someone wrote a book about what happened over the last few months. It wouldn’t be kid friendly. There would be some nice stuff, but there would also be sex, rape, murder etc. Unless you don’t want to tell the whole truth.
Of Kings and Prophets should have been a cable series or one of those streaming networks like Netflix.
Not to worry, It will be on the History channel very soon..
If the show was for kids I would not watch it. Keep it real. Kids should be in bed at that time.
I find it interesting and very true to life that the series is on it may be violent but it is shown at 10 o’clock at night when children should be in bed and nobody should be complaining about the content if you don’t like it don’t support the people who supported
I may not trust the Parents Television Council, but I think a reason why “Of Kings and Prophets” failed right out of the gate is because most TV viewers on March 8 chose to watch “Little Big Shots” on NBC rather than the first episode of “OK&P”, and “Little Big Shots” ended up getting over 12 million viewers. To be fair, “OK&P” was not very well-received by critics, either, with most reviews for the series being mixed. Judging by a low viewership figure, I think “OK&P” will end up being cancelled after one season anyway, meaning the ABC Network will… Read more »
I believe that the show is faithful to Old Testament times–not pretty. Stay the course.
Exactly. Butt-hurt religious people are mad because a story accurately portrays the parts of their religious book which they don’t like. Violence: 1 Samuel 15:1: Samuel said to Saul, “I am the one the Lord sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the Lord. 2This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. 3Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroya all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to… Read more »
Have not watched but will! Tell the parents to change the Chanel or better yet put the kids to bed if to young! Stop telling the adults in the room what to watch! Enough is enough!
Tell them to go screw themselves. It’s a story and if they don’t like it they have this really cool think that comes with their tv. Something we didn’t have when I was a kid. It’s called the remote. Change the channel and shut up…
Haha haha haha, well said! My thoughts exactly!